No program will curtail people's sexual habits

Byline2:

Just read a report on the results of a survey regarding the sexual experiences of some 5,300 young people, ages 15 to 24. Just the mention of that three-letter word will attract an overwhelming number of readers of newspapers.

Now I have been known to have become more cynical in my dotage; however I suggest that any adult who believes that there can be any merit to a study of this sort is truly naive. There are multiple and complex reasons for many of this grouping for engaging in the aforementioned activity. There are also about the same number of reasons for being less than truthful about it. And then there is the definition. Should we ask Bill Clinton?

Obviously the incidence of pregnancies and STDs is a major concern of our society. The chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has pronounced this survey as “the gold standard” in reliability of such studies.

Now I would not want to put a dollar value on a strategy to effectively reduce unwanted pregnancies and disease, but I am skeptical as to what gains we have made in this endeavor. The billboards, parents, preachers, and other parties promoting abstinence and protection simply ain’t getting it done. Trying to curtail the sexual habits of people is akin to continually cautioning drunks not to drive or nicotine addicts to quit smoking or dogs to bypass fire hydrants.